Self-contained flowmeter



March 22, 1960 G. J. BuTTERwoRTl-l ETAL 2,929,244

INVENTORS.

ATTORNEYS en asnr cr. BuTTERwoRTH a. STEPHEN w. suRAsmH .Isl

United States Patent O SELF-CONTAINED FLowMErER Gilbert J. Butterworth, Houston, Tex., and Stephen W. Gurasich, Lafayette, La., assignors to Sperry-Sun Well Surveying Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Original application October 2, 1951, Serial No. 249,332,

now Patent No. 2,713,261, dated July 19, 1955. Divided and this application May 17, 1955, Serial No. 508,944

Claims. (Cl. 73-155) This invention relates to well testing apparatus and, more particularly, to a self-contained flowmeter for measuring the subsurface ow of liquid in a well. This application is a division of our copending patent application Serial No. 249,332, filed October 2, 1951, now issued as Patent No. 2,713,261.

In obtaining crude petroleum, the pressure within the producing horizon usually decreases so that it is necessary to cause oil ow to adjacent wells by introducing water under pressure to the oil-bearing strata through former oil wells selected near the producing field. In some fields, water-bearing sands which overlie the oil strata are the source from which water is permitted to ow downwardly into the oil reservoir to create the necessary pressure by building up a hydrostatic head proportionate to the depth of the Water in the field. The water ow used to create pressure in the oil-bearing strata must be carefully ,measured to avoid overllooding of the oil fields, and, consequently, losing the oil residue.

There are also numerous producing wells from which the ow of oilk emerges at a relatively slow rate. There are also wells in-which water is rising upwardly through the well from a water-bearing .strata to an overlying oilbearing strata. In these two types of wells it is frequently desirable to measure Athe ow of liquid, water or oil rising in the well.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable apparatus which may be lowered into a well and which will measure the rate of liquid ow in the well.

Itis a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus which may be lowered into a well and provide a measurement of .liquid ow therein without necessitating the use of any apparatus permanently mounted within the well.

The .present apparatus is particularly adaptable to measuring relatively small Yrates of ow in that wells having lo'w ow rates of either oil or water generally do'not warrant the installation of permanent apparatus for providing ow measurement.

These and other objects of theinvention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

'Figures 1A and 1B are, respectively, longitudinal sections through the lower and upper portions of a owmeter embodying the invention; and

Figure 2 shows atypical record produced by the apparatus shown in Figures 1A and 1B.

In the figures there is shown a sleeve 102 within which .there vis mounted a housing 104 by means of the iin members106.7-@The4housing 104 is closed by a lower capmemberlk'ltllfand an upper cap member 111,e The wcapmember. 111i is providedV witha ring 111'fo r at- I`tachmentioi'a cable or other lowering means.

An impelle'r member 112 which mounts impeller blades from the upper end of the impeller member is a shaft 118 which passes through the cap 108 and has mounted on its upper end a cam in an oil filled chamber 110. The anti-friction bearings 105, the sealing glands 103 and the oil tilled chambers and 110' are provided in order that the impeller and the shaft 118 may rotate freely without leakage of well iluids into the chamber 115, the housing 160 being sealed at 170.

Mounted within the upper portion of the housing 104 is a clockwork mechanism generally indicated at 120. This mechanism is identical with the mechanism described in the application mentioned above and need not be described in detail herein, it being suflvicient to note that the mechanism is in an inverted position with respect to the position of the mechanism described in the above-mentioned application. The clockwork mechanism 120 is contained within a sleeve 124 and has at its upper end a knob 126 for use in winding theV clock.

Aixed to the sleeve 128 which is rotated by operation of the clockwork mechanism is means for mount ing a record member 130 which is indicated generally by the numeral 100 in Figure 2 in which it is shown in plan form. Also attached to the sleeve 128 is an insulated cam 132.

An electro-chemical recording is produced on the record member 130. This record member preferably comprises a sheet of paper containing a colored material such as a colored metallic ferrocyanide which, upon the passage of an electric current while it is moist, will be marked with a white spot by reason of the formation of alkali at a cathode provided by a metallic point 142 hereinafter described.

Mounted on a plate 134 supporting the clockwork mechanism is a Contact mounting block 138 which is formed `of an insulating material and mounts a contact arm'136. The upper end of the contact mounting arm 136 supports a cam follower 140 which is adapted to engage the raised portion of the insulated cam 132. Also mounted on the upper end of the contact arm 136 is a contact point 142 which engages the record member when the reduced diameter portion of the cam 132 is beneath the cam follower 140 as shown in the drawing. As previously described, the member 128 rotates as the clockwork mechanism operates and, therefore, by select- -ing the extent of the periphery of the cam 132 over .which the contact 142 is permitted to engage the record member 130, the time interval of contact may be established, thus establishing the time interval of recording.

Attached to the lower end of the contact arm 136 .is a current limiting resistor 144 and extending from the resistor is a conductor 146 which is connected to the contact member 148.

Attached to the sleeve member 124 is a coupling member 150 which is adapted to house a plurality of batteries 152 stacked in series relationship with the negative poles upward. The upper end of the coupling 150 contains insulated plug members 154 which support contact members 148 and 156 which are electrically connected and mechanically separated by means of a spring 158. n

The lower end of the coupling member 150 is coupled to a sleeve and mounts an insulated block 162 through which there is extended a contact pin 164.

Mounted in the lower end of the sleeve 160 is a member 166 through which extends a bolt 168 which is insulated from the block 166 by means of members 170. The bolt 168 has mounted to its lower end a Contact iinger 172 which is adapted to be contacted by the rise of the cam 110 as the impeller member 112 is rotated.

In the operation of this invention the upper cap 111 and the spring 109 are removed from the housing 104 andthe sleeve member 124 and the clockwork mechthe member 166 is held firmly in engagement with theV shoulder 167 of the housing 104. Y

With the partsY thus assembled, the fiowmeter may be lowered into a well to the depth at which it is desired to measure the rate o-f ow. The impeller member 112 and the cam 110 will rotate immediately upon being "subjected to the passage of fluid within the well. `However, the electrical circuit through the record strip is interrupted by the open contact member y142, the cam lfollower 140 being a't this time in engagement With the insulated cam 132. h After the expiration of a predetermmed time interval during which the sleeve 128 is rotated by the clockwork Ymechanism the rise of the cam 132 mounted on the sleeve 128 will pass from beneath the cam follower 146 and permit the contact arm 136V to drop downwardly with the contact 142 in engagement with the record strip 130. The electrical circuit is now completed from vthe batteries 152l through the Contact members 156, 14S, conductor 146, resistor 144, contact arm 136, contact Apoint 142, and record strip 139 to ground through the clockwork mechanism. The return circuit from the clockwork mechanism is through the sleeve 124 and the housing V104 to the impeller shaft 118, the cam 110 and the contact 172 each time the rise of the cam 110 engages the contact 172, through the bolt 16S and the contact pin 164 tothe batteries 152.

Thus it will be apparent that no current can pass from e' Y amination of the record strip determine the that level.

While the clockwork mechanism referred to as employed in the disclosed embodiment of the invention is described as being similar to that employed in the above-` mentioned application, it will be evident that various types of clockwork mechanisms may be employed for driving a member such as the sleeve 128 on which there is adapted to -be mounted a record strip and a cam in order to provide a pulse register operative for a predetermined time interval.

While the apparatus may be operated without the ex ternal sleeve member shown in the drawing, this member not only affords protection for the impeller but also makes possible the use of the flowmeter in casings of ow rate at 'various sizes with results of reasonable accuracy. The

invention disclosed herein provides 'a simple and practical means for periodically determining the ow rates either upwardly or A'downwardly 'at any locations within a well without 'the necessity 'of any apparatus being permanently installed in vthe well.

What is claimed is: A

l. A flowmeter for determining the rate 'of ow ofra liquid'through a well bore hole comprising a tubular housing adapted Ato be lowered into 'a bore hole, 'a 'shaft revolubly journalled in the lower end portionof said housing, an impeller mounted upon said shaft eitternally the batteries to the record strip until the clockwork mechanism has operated for a sufiicient period of time to carry the rise of the camr132 clear of the cam follower 140, thereby permitting the contact-142 to engage the record strip 13). When this condition exists current will pass each time the rise of the cam 110 engages the contact 172. Thus there is provided on the record strip 130' a plurality of dots 131, the spacing of which or the number occurring during the recording interval being determined by theV rate ofroperation of the clockwise mechanism and the speed of rotation of the impeller. The cam 132 has only a portion of its periphery depressed and, therefore, after a predetermined recording time interval has passed, the contact k112 will be raised from the record member. The number of dots appearing on the record member during the recording interval, 143 in Figure 2V, is indicative of the rate of rotation of the impeller member 112 and, therefore, of the rate of ilow past the impeller member.

' As indicated hereinabove, when the instrument is lowered into a well, the cam follower 14`is in engagement with the cam 132 and the contact member 142 is open. It will be evident, therefore, that the cam 132 operates to afford a time delay before, and another after, a predetermined recording time interval, which time delays are provided to allow time for .lowering the instrument into and removing it from Vthe well. In the form of the Vinvention illustrated, one measurement is made on a record strip during the predetermined recording time interval. Y

It will be evident that in the operation of this form ofthe invention the assembled apparatus may be lowered into a well to a desired level therein and the operator with a clock at the surface of the earth will be able to determine when the recording interval begins and ends.

After-the recording has been completed, .the operatorY may withdraw the apparatus from the well and by eX- of said housing, a revoluble merrib'erin the upper end portion of said housing, a record strip mounted upon said revoluble member and adapted vfor being marked by electric current passed therethrough, a constant speed motor for actuating said revoluble member and the record strip mounted thereon, a first element adapted for makingcontact electrically with said record strip, means actuated by saidV revoluble member for holding said first Contact element disengaged from said record vstrip -for a predetermined time interval suicient for lowering the flowmeter into the hole, engaged with said record strip for a predetermined recording time interval, and then disengaged from said record strip for a predetermined time interval suici'en't for removing said flowmeter from the hole, a'second contact element, said shaft being adapted for intermittently making contact electrically with said second contact elemeiit as said shaft revolves, and means series connecting said iirst contact element, Vrecord strip, second Contact element and Vshaft in electric circuit, the latter being closed intermittently during the predetermined recording time interval thereby to pas's electric current through said `recordy strip for marking the same. i

2. A flowmeter as defined in clairnfl wherein the lower end portion of the housing is provided with impeller shaft accommodating means operative for securing said housing against ingress of well iluids, said means including a chamber within said housing filled with a dielectric iluid and Vhousing the upper'end portion of said shaft and the second contact element.

3. A owmeter as defined in claim 2 wherein the upper end portion of the impeller shaft mounts a cam operable by said shaft for engaging the second contact ele ment at intervals dependent upon the rate at whichprsaid shaft is rotated.

4. A 'flowmeter for determining the rate of flow of liquid through a well bore hole comprising a housing adapted for being lowered into theV bore hole, an impeller carried by said housing, means rotatably mounting said impeller in a position to be rotated by liquid flowing longitudinally through the bore hole, a record member within said housing adapted for being marked by electric current passed therethrough, a rst element adapted for making contact electrically with said record member, means for'moving the latter and said iirst contactelement continuously relative to, and in contact with, one another during a predetermined Vrecording time interval, a second contact element, Y, said impeller zmounting means being adapted for intermittently making contact electrically with said second contact element when said impeller is rotating, means series connecting said lirst contact element, record member, second contact element and impeller mounting means in electric circuit, said second contact element being operative intermittently during said predetermined recording time interval, when disposed in contact with said impeller mounting means, for closing said circuit and thereby passing current through said first contact element and record member for marking the latter, and operative, when disengaged from said impeller mounting means, for opening said circuit and thereby interrupting the How of current through said first contact element and recording member.

5. A ilowmeter for determining the rate of ow of liquid through a well bore hole comprising a housing adapted for being lowered into the bore hole, an impeller carried by said housing, means rotatably mounting said impeller externally of said housing in a position to be rotated by liquid flowing longitudinally through the bore hole, a record member within said housing adapted for being marked electrochemically by electric current passed therethrough, a first element adapted for making contact electrically with said record member, means for moving the latter and said tirst contact element continuously at a constant speed relative to, and in contact with, one another during a predetermined recording time interval, a second contact element, said impeller mounting means being adapted for intermittently making contact electrically with said second contact element when said impeller is rotating, means series connecting said first contact element, record member, second contact element and impeller mounting means in electric circuit, said second Contact element being operative intermittently during said predetermined recording time interval, when disposed in contact with said impeller mounting means, for closing said circuit and thereby passing current through said first contact element and record member for marking the latter, and operative, when disengaged from said impeller mounting means, for opening said circuit and thereby interrupting the ow of current through said first contact element and recording member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,666,329 Ferree et al. Apr. 17, 1928 2,143,962 Stone Jan. 17, 1939 2,334,920 Gosline et al. Nov. 23, 1943 2,649,712 Dale Aug. 25, 1953 2,652,721 McMillan et al Sept. 22, 1953 

